majority (n.)

1550s, "state or condition of being greater, superiority"(a sense now obsolete), from French majorité (16c.), from Medieval Latin majoritatem (nominative majoritas) "majority," from Latin maior "greater" (see major (adj.)).

Sense of "state of being of full age, age at which the law permits a young person to manage his own affairs," is attested from 1560s. The meaning "greater number or part, more than half of the whole" (of votes, etc.) is by 1690s; that of "the excess of one of two groups of enumerated votes over the other" is by 1743. The majority "the dead" recorded from 1719; hence euphemistic verbal phrase join the majority.

also from 1550s

Entries linking to majority

major (adj.)

c. 1300, majour, "greater, more important or effective, leading, principal," from Latin maior (earlier *magios), irregular comparative of magnus "large, great" (from PIE root *meg- "great").

It is attested from 1590s as "greater in quantity, number, or extent." Used in music (of modes, scales, or chords) since 1690s, on the notion of an interval a half-tone "greater" than the minor; of modern modes, "characterized by the use of major tonality throughout," by 1811. Major league, in baseball, is attested by 1892.

majoritarian (adj.)

"governed or ruled by the majority; supporting the majority party," 1917, from majority + political ending -arian. It seems to have been used first in a German context, in reference to the moderate Majority Socialists, and it is perhaps based on Bolshevik. As a noun by 1920. Related: Majoritarianism.

*meg-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "great."

It forms all or part of: acromegaly; Almagest; Charlemagne; maestro; magisterial; magistral; magistrate; Magna Carta; magnate; magnitude; magnum; magnanimity; magnanimous; magni-; Magnificat; magnificence; magnificent; magnify; magniloquence; magniloquent; Magnus; maharajah; maharishi; mahatma; Mahayana; Maia; majesty; major; major-domo; majority; majuscule; master; maxim; maximum; may (v.2) "to take part in May Day festivities;" May; mayor; mega-; megalo-; mickle; Mister; mistral; mistress; much; omega.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Armenian mets "great;" Sanskrit mahat- "great, mazah- "greatness;" Avestan mazant- "great;" Hittite mekkish "great, large;" Greek megas "great, large;" Latin magnus "great, large, much, abundant," major "greater," maximus "greatest;" Middle Irish mag, maignech "great, large;" Middle Welsh meith "long, great."

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minority

1530s, "state or condition of being smaller," a sense now obsolete, from French minorité (15c.), or directly from Medieval Latin minoritatem (nominative minoritas), from Latin minor "less, lesser, smaller, junior" (see minor (adj.)). Meaning "state of being under legal age" is fr

minority

bulk

mid-15c., "a heap; the volume or bulk of something," earlier "ship's cargo" (mid-14c.), from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse bulki "a heap; ship's cargo," from Proto-Germanic *bul-, from PIE root *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell." The meaning was extended by early confusion wit

cloture

for "closure, the action of closing," applied to debates in the French Assembly ("action of closing (debate) by will of a majority...In foreign countries the Clôture has been used notoriously to barricade up a majority against the "pestilent" criticism of...a minority, and in this country every "whip" and force is employed by the majority to re-assert its continued supremacy...

silent

Silent majority in the political sense of "mass of people whose moderate views are not publicly expressed and thus overlooked...It is time for America's silent majority to stand up for its rights, and let us remember the American majority includes every...America's silent majority is bewildered by irrational protest. [Spiro T....

plurality

Meaning "greater number, more than half" is from 1570s but is etymologically improper, perhaps modeled on majority....of votes for the candidate who receives the most over those of rival candidate(s)," especially when none has an absolute majority...

oligarchy

after some preliminary remarks, concludes by defining a democracy to be, when the freemen and those not the rich, being the majority...This definition of an oligarchy necessarily implies that the majority are excluded from participating in the sovereign power...

age

late 13c., "long but indefinite period in human history," from Old French aage, eage (12c., Modern French âge) "age; life, lifetime, lifespan; maturity," earlier edage (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *aetaticum (source also of Spanish edad, Italian eta, Portuguese idade "age"), extende

maturity

early 15c., maturite, "maturity of character;" mid-15c., "ripeness, completeness, full development," from Old French maturité and directly from Latin mātūritatem (nominative mātūritas) "ripeness," from mātūrus "ripe" (see mature (v.)). The word seems to have been reborrowed in ea

number

c. 1300, "sum, aggregate of a collection," from Anglo-French noumbre, Old French nombre and directly from Latin numerus "a number, quantity," from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take." The meaning "written symbol or figure of arithmetic value" is from late 14c. The meaning "singl

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updated on December 09, 2020

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Dictionary entries near majority

Majorca

major-domo

majorette

major-general

majoritarian

majority

majorly

majuscule

*mak-

make

make out